Scleroscope



Iviay 25 1926.4

T. A. HALL scLERoscoPE Filed Sept '18, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedMay 25, 1926.

Fries.

TRYGVE A. HALL, OF IPOUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK..

SCLEROSCOPE.

Application inea september is, 1923. serial' No. 663,421.

This invention relates to portable scleroscopes and hardness testers ofthe class in which a plunger released striker is adapted to travel in agraduated tube, and is more particularly .an improvement over my Patent#1,446,620 for a scleroscope, dated February 27, 1923.

In the mentioned patent, I disclose the construction of the graduatedtube and a striker adapted to drop through the same with means to holdthestriker in raised position and also to release the same, with furthermeans upon the striker and in thetube to catch and hold the striker uponrebounding from .a testobject.

Thel main object of th-e present invention is to introduce improvedmeans to perform these functions, and incidentally, to improve theconstruction of the scleroscope as a whole. p

Referring to the drawing formingpart of this application F ig.l 1 is avertical side section of an apparatus made according to mv inventionwith all parts in initial operative position.

Fig. 2 isa similar view with the striker released and the lower part ofthe apparatus omitted. .-1

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the lower extremity of the scleroscopeof Fig. 1 with the striker at the bottom with pawls rcleased.

Fig. 4 is an intermediate vertical section of the same instrument withthe striker at rest in attained rebound position. 4

Fig. 5 is a front `view of the sam-e part` of the instrument. e

Fig. 6 is a cross` section of the scleroscope immediately above Fig. 5.i

Throughout the views in the drawings the sameV reference numeralsindicate the same parts.

My new scleroscopel consists vof a main tube 1 screwed to a'base 2, andhaving the interior chamber 3 in which a striker 4'is adapted to movevertically. Above the striker a wide slot 23 is provided in the tube topermit easy access to the .interior when assembling the instrument, andin this slot is mounted a swinging member or trigger 21 adapted torotate about a shaft 22. This pendant member is provided at one side ofthe center with .a spring 24 which contacts with the tube 1 to give theupper extremity 25 a decided tendency tooccupy a central position inchamber 3. Below the spring 24, the part 23 is formed into a hook 13.adapted to engage the head 14 with which the striker kis provided,serving to retain the latter in raised position.

A kcap 27 `is screwed into the upper eX- tremity of tube 1,'and containsa compression spring 28, lwhile a plunger 29 which surmounts theinstrument has a reduced portion 30 resting on the spring. Furthermore,the plunger is provided with a narrow neck 44 which passes through thecap and terminates below in a head 26adapted to contact withone sideof'part 25, mediate effect of depressing the plunger would be to rswingmember 21 into the position of Fig. 2, releasing the striker.

Thus, the im.

However, the construction of the striker comprises a body portionsurmounted by a head, as noted, a reduced portion 2O having a flange 17,andan annular rib 16 on the body, the flangepand rib centering thestriker in the tube'by slight contact with its interior. The lower -partofther striker is furnished with a very hard steel head or rack 37 insloty 36, ,whosel use will immcdi 'ately appear. The striker is providedwith a slot 5 inwhich are located an escapement hook 6-f-8 and a 'doublepawl 9-10.v The first hook is' adaptedby the hook 8 to engage either tip9 or 10 ofthe pawl, but owing to theA limited movement possible to thehook l.S aboutfthe center 7, the tip 10 will never clear it and willtherefore limitoutward swing of the pawl. .The pawl is provided `withl a.leaf spring 11v which is under `tension against "leg 6 of theescapemen't hook, and causes the pawl to tend to spring outf into the'tube slot 36. The trigger 21, on the other hand, terminates at its lowerextremity in a finger 12 so related vin size and position to the pawlthat when` and permit hook 8 to rise and lock tip 9.

lil

it is to be noted that while hook 8 is heavy in construction,'thetension of spring ll on the inside et leg (i will raise hook 8 when tipi) Within it because the spring is drawn up above the center '7.

iiheu the striker is caused to drop by depressing plunger 2t), as hasbeen described, the suiker vfill dropl through the tube until thebannuer 1S passesinto aperture 3S in base and strikes a test surfaceupon which the scleroseope is standing at the Ltiine and as it strikesthe momentum still retained by the hook 8 ivill cause the latter todrop, releasing tip i) of the pawl as in Fig. 3. Then robo li; g, thestriker will rise to assume on like that ot Figs. et and 5, While tipWilleontaot with the rack 3i' on the u'ay up, but Will instantly engagethe latter when thestriker comes to a stop,prevei iting itsdescent. Thedistance` ot' the.V rebound is, oit' course, a direct index of thehardness ot' any object tested, and in order to n'iakel possible theaccurate reading of attained striker positions, a marked portion 4Sis'provided to the striker. and primarily, aslot 43 in tube l throughwhich to View4 the mark. The tube is flattened exteriorly adjacent theslot as at 47, and a pair yot' graduated strips secured on either sideof the slot, a glass Lllfbei'ng. laid outside the st 'ips to protect thesame and close the slot.

Ho\vever.,in order to completely assemble the instrument, an outer tube32 is .fitted over tube l, and at. the bottom 'a iinishing ring Sesecured, WhileY a capping tube'l is-titted over the upper portion oftube l and cap 27, the plunger; passing through the capping tube, andasecond finishing ring or col-lar 33 joining the tubes to finish theWhole.

The base oi' the instrument is provided with a pair of transverse bottomrgrooves to facilitate accurate centering of the instrument upon' roundshafts and like objects.

ltiiiiglit be mentioned, tina-ily, in regard to the striker, vthat ifthe latter actually til-led the bore 3 of tube l, it would not drop veryrapidly because of air resist-ance, and toremedy this condition, a pairof op posit-e cor 1esponding clearance slots 40-40 in the body l andlike 46' in flange 17 have beeneut, permitting a. free drop.

It the base of the,` instrument is now direct-ly placed on a surfacewhich vis to be testedand then the plunger pressed Without disturbing'the instrument, the striker will drop and instantly rebound stopping atsome mark on the, index strips. The "number on the strips indicated bystriker mark 48 Will be the hardness number. Before leaving this pointit may be Well to not-e" thatwhen the striker paivl has been freed by adrop, the paWl-spring is swung-- down slightlyfso that its lowerlextremity hasy practically passed the center 7, this extremity Willactually push down hook 8, thus reversing its :normal action.

Returning to the operation of the device, it but necessaryto invert theapparatus in the hand in order to cause the striker to ascend to initialstarting posit-ion. lilhen the seieroseope is inverted, the striker willdrop tou'ard trigger 2l, While finger l2 of the sanie will depress thepaivl till hook il draps outside the paivl, locking the latter.

The trigger is, of course, momentai'iljvv rocked out off position by thehead ot' the striker, butonly resumes its usual position when` the,striker has come to rest against tube stop l5, and hook 13 has caughtstriker head ld, Returning the instrument to normal position, it isagain ready Jfor a test, and any number ot tests may thus be made.

Having new fully described my invention, .l claim i. .i scleroscopecomprising a tube having a base and a pair ot longitudinal slots, :iraffk in one ofsaid slots and a graduated indicator beside the secondslot, a striker movable in said tube having aretaining means comprisinga head upon its upper portion anda Contact hammer upon its` lowerportion, intermediately, a double paivl on said striker provided With aspring and adapted'to engage said rack, a hook on said strikercontacting With said paivl spring- 'and adapted to engage said pau'l,and means on said tube to engage and release; saidV striker head.

2. A portable scleroscope comprising .i tube having interiorly astationary rack, a movable striker adapted when in projet` ed positionlto travel in said tube having a pendant p'axvl adapted to engage saidrack, a pivot in said striker and an escapement hook mounted on saidpivot in said striker having relatively long, light leg at oner side ofsaidpivot and opposite the same a relatively heavy short leg adapted toengage said paivl when in retracted position, a spring secured to saidpaivl adapted to rest against said long leg tending to raise said shortleg and project said paul outward and means iin said tube to engage orrelease said striker comprising a catch hook and a plunger adapted todisplace said catch hook.

3. :i seleroscope comprising a 'tube provided interiorly with a 'ulciumpin, a pendant' hook mounted on said. pin having a proje'rtion above the'tulcrum pin,'a second project-ion below the saine, a spring on saidhook incontact with said tube, a striker havinga Contact hammer'beneaththe saine` and surniountiug the saine a head adapted to'be engaged bysaid pendant hook, a rack located in the sidel of said tube, a pendantpaivl ypivoted in the side o-t' said striker adapted to engage said rackivhen inreleased position and provided With a spring` engagingta part'of said striker to project [lili il l) Ill() said pawl outward, al stopfor said striker in drawn position, said pendant pawl being adapted tocontact with the lower portion of said pendant hook to be retractedthere# by,l and a depressibleplunger in said tube adapted to engage theupper portion of said pendant hook to swing the same.

4L. An invertible seleroscope comprising a tube having inthe extremitythereof a projecting plunger and a hook pivoted Lwithin the tube incontact with said` plunger, a spring upon said hook in Contact with thewall of said tube, a striker adapted to reciprocate in said tube andadapted to be engaged by said hook, a rack in said tube, a

pendant pawl pivoted in the body of said` striker adapted when inreleased position to engage said rack in said tube, a projection uponsaid hook adapted to swing said pawl inward into inoperative positionkupon movement of said striker toward said hook,

a fulcrum pin in said striker body and an escapeinent hook mounted onsaid fulcrum pin in said striker adapted to engage said pawl when innormal inner depressed position, and a spring on said pawl adapted to betensed against said escapeinent hook above the fulcruin thereof tendingto raise l the saine when said pawl is in withdrawn position, andadapted when said pawl is in projected position to Contact with saidhook below said fulcruin whereby to depress saidk hook.

' 5. A scleroscope comprising a tube, al

stop therefor secured in said tube, a head on said striker adapted to beengaged by said hook, a pendant pawl pivoted in` said striker, aprojection spring secured upon one side of said pawl and an outer shortpawl tip secured upon the other side of the pawl and intermediately aninner long tip, an esc peinent hook provided with a pair of differentextremities and also pivotally mounted in said striker adapted at oneeX- tremity to engzfige either of said pawl tips and within ythe otherextremity adapted to eiigage the interior of said striker and partiallyenvelop said projection spring, said long pawl tip being so relativelypi'oportioned that only the short tip may escape and project against theinside of aforesaid tube, said long tip thereby providing a limit forsaid pawl together with said escapement hook` and a second projection onaforesaid pendant hook adapted to engage and depress said pawl withinthe limits of said striker.

6. In a scleroscope, a striker clutch and release device comprising atube of the chai acter described, a trigger hook movably mounted in saidtube, an upper and a lower projection on said hook, an intermediate hookanda spring secured thereto and projecting therefrom to the wall 'ofsaid tube, a plunger adapted to contact with said hook and adapted upondepression thereof to displace said hook, a striker body, and a pendantpawl mounted in said body, a spring n on said pawl and a pair of spacedpoints on said pawl, van escapement hook pivotally mounted in saidstriker body, a long arm and an oppositely disposed'shorter arinterminating in a hook adapted when in retracted y,position to engage theoutermost point of l said pawl and adapted to engage the inner secondpoint when in projected position to limit the projectionof said pawl,said pawl spring in said retracted pawl position being adapted to betensed against: said long hook arm above the pivot mounting of said hookand thereby raise the shorter hook arm and thus lock said pawlinretracted position, said spring inprojected pawl position vbeing adaptedto contact with` another portion of said escapement hook to depress saidhook and thereby prevent return of said pawl,

ysaid pawl being adapted to contact with one.

of the project-ions yof aforesaid trigger to retract said pawl and locksaid escapement hook. i

'7. A scleroscope comprising a tube, a rack in said tube and a strikeradapted to slide in said tube, a pair of spaced pivots in said striker,a pawl mounted on one of saidpivots and an escapeinent hook mounted onthe other, a spring on said pawl adapted to contact with saidescapeinent hook, a straight arm and a hooked ariiion said escapementhook, said hooked arm being adapted to engage saidpawl when the lat-teris in withdrawn position, and said pawl being adapted to engage saidrack when in projected posi tion, and means in said tube adapted tocontact with said pawl to retract-'the same and to permit said hookedarm to engage and lock said pawl.

8. In a scleroscope having a with a rack therein, a striker comprising astriker body, a pair of spaced pivots, a pawl l mounted on one of saidpivots, an arched es-` capenient hook mounted `on the other pivot andpartly enveloping said pawl, ar weighted arm on said escapement hook anda hook on said arm adapted to engage said pawl when the saine is inwithdrawn position, means to project said pawl to permit the pawl toengage said rack, means insaid striker to move saidhook into engagementwith said' pawl in the retracted position of the latter and means insaid tube to depress said pawl.

9. In a scleroscop-e striker, arstriker body,

a pair of spaced and parallel pivots, a pawl mounted on one of saidpivots and an eseapeinent hook mounted on the other and in tube providediso the saine plane with said pziwl, means to project said pziwl, meansto lock and retain said pnwl in retracted position comprising zi hookupon said eseiipenient hook, :ind means to retain sind hooi; in raisedposition in engagement with said pri-W1.

l0. In i seleioseope, a striker n'ieehiinisin comprising zi strikerbody, pivotsin sind body, :i hook mounted on one pivot rind zi piiwlmounted on iiiiothei pivot, ii main tip on said pnwl adapted to beengaged by'siiid hook and ieiatively of u length to be pei*- iniiiientlycaptive Within the comin-es oi said hook, zi second irelzii'iveiyshorter tip on seid pand adapted to be engaged by Enid hook when thepiiwl is in retrzieed posit-ion but adapted to project beyond siiid hookwhen in projected posiiioiniind ineens 'to project said piiwi from saidhook comprising i spring,` between seid pziwi and seid hook.

ll. in ai seieroscope, :i striker meeiiiuiisiii comprising ii strikerbody, ai )und pivoted iii said body7 zi hook mounted in sii-id bodj,7:ind :adapted to envelope sind pziwi and to engage sziid piiwl when iniei'iiieted position, iind means to pro-j eet said piiwl and also ltomove said hook into engagement -with said pziWl comprising zispiingsecured upon said pziwl and adapted to slide upon the inside of sziidpiiwi-inouiited on oneo said pivots and an esciipeinent hook mounted onthey other pivot,

nieiiiis toprojeei' said piiwl beyond. said hook,

zi relatively light arm von sind eseapenient hook ind :i weighted :ninioii-sziid esezipeinent hook,v n hook on said Weighted arm, siiid hookbein-g adapted to said pnwl when the laitier in retractedposition, andsind Weighted erin being iidzipted i'o Wii'hdre-W said hook from saidpiiwi by `Virt-ue of its moineni'uni upon n'ioifeiiient oi' said strikerand inesins to retain said hook norii'niiiy on engagement with saidpzin'i when.

iii n'ihdrii-wn position. Y

in esiinionnif' whereof l have :ifiiied my signature.

TRYGV A. QHALL.

